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by Pierre-Félix Louis (1870 - 1925), as Pierre Louÿs
Translation © by Bertram Kottmann

La Danseuse aux crotales
Language: French (Français) 
Our translations:  ENG GER
Tu attaches à tes mains légères 
tes crotales retentissants, Myrrhinidion ma chérie, 
et à peine nue hors de la robe, 
tu étires tes membres nerveux. 
Que tu es jolie, les bras en l'air, 
les reins arqués et les seins rouges!

Tu commences : tes pieds l'un devant l'autre se posent,
hésitent, et glissent mollement. 
Ton corps se plie comme une écharpe, 
tu caresses ta peau qui frissonne, 
et la volupté inonde tes longs yeux évanouis.

Tout à coup, tu claques des crotales ! 
Cambre-toi sur tes pieds dressés, secoue les reins, 
lance les jambes et que tes mains pleines de fracas appellent 
tous les désirs en bande autour de ton corps tournoyant !

Nous applaudissons à grands cris, soit que, 
souriant sur l'épaule, tu agites d'un frémissement 
ta croupe convulsive et musclée, 
soit que tu ondules presque étendue, 
au rythme de tes souvenirs.

Text Authorship:

  • by Pierre-Félix Louis (1870 - 1925), as Pierre Louÿs, "La Danseuse aux crotales", appears in Les Chansons de Bilitis, in Épigrammes dans l'Île de Chypre, no. 123 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):

  • by Claude Achille Debussy (1862 - 1918), "La Danseuse aux crotales", L. 102/(96) no. 10, from Chansons de Bilitis, no. 10, note: incidental music to accompany the recitation of twelve prose poems. [sung text checked 1 time]

Available translations, adaptations or excerpts, and transliterations (if applicable):

  • ENG English (Marvin J. Ward) , "The Dancer With Krotales", copyright © 2003, (re)printed on this website with kind permission
  • GER German (Deutsch) (Bertram Kottmann) , "Die Tänzerin mit den Krotala", copyright © 2013, (re)printed on this website with kind permission


Researcher for this page: Marvin J. Ward

This text was added to the website between May 1995 and September 2003.
Line count: 20
Word count: 140

Die Tänzerin mit den Krotala
Language: German (Deutsch)  after the French (Français) 
An deine leichten Hände bindest du
die klappernden Krotala, Myrrhinidion, meine Liebe,
und kaum dem Kleid entschlüpft
reckst du die unruhigen Glieder.
Wie schön du bist, die Arme erhoben,
gewölbt die Lenden, die Brüste rot!

Dein Tanz beginnt: einen Fuß setzt du vor den anderen,
zögernd und sanft gleitend.
Wie eine Schärpe ist dein Leib geschlungen;
du streichelst deine Haut: sie schaudert
und Wellen der Wollust überfluten deine verfließenden Augen.

Plötzlich stimmt es an, das klappernde Spiel der Krotala!
Biege dich über deinen aufgerichteten Füßen, schwinge die Hüften,
wirf die Beine in die Luft und ruf' mit Händen voll des Rasselns 
alle Begierden herbei, die sich als Band um deinen kreisenden Körper schlingen!

Laut jubeln wir dir zu, sei es,
wenn du lächelnd über die Schulter blickend 
dein muskelstarkes Gesäß zuckend bewegst,
sei es, wenn du fast liegend
dich wiegst im Rhythmus deiner Erinnerungen.

Anmerkung des Übersetzers: Krotala sind Kastagnetten ähnliche Idiophone der Antike: Krotalon = Klapper (griech.)

Text Authorship:

  • Translation from French (Français) to German (Deutsch) copyright © 2013 by Bertram Kottmann, (re)printed on this website with kind permission. To reprint and distribute this author's work for concert programs, CD booklets, etc., you must ask the copyright-holder(s) directly for permission. If you receive no response, you must consider it a refusal.

    Bertram Kottmann.  Contact: BKottmann (AT) t-online.de

    If you wish to commission a new translation, please contact: licenses@email.lieder.example.net

Based on:

  • a text in French (Français) by Pierre-Félix Louis (1870 - 1925), as Pierre Louÿs, "La Danseuse aux crotales", appears in Les Chansons de Bilitis, in Épigrammes dans l'Île de Chypre, no. 123
    • Go to the text page.

 

This text was added to the website: 2013-05-15
Line count: 20
Word count: 144

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